Raging Rapids

Another calm day across the coral sea as FNQ bakes in the heat of the delayed monsoon. We awoke early (for us) - due to the plentiful rest the proceeding day - and slowly got ready for our big downstream adventure.

An early morning late' on the beachfront preceded a trip into Cairns proper for a photo recovery mission and a stroll and minor shop in the Central. Whilst busy, the place just seems so much more calm and relaxed than in chaotic Melbourne. It's easy to see why people choose to live here, apart from of course: the oppressive heat, the personal dangers in the water, the catastrophic cyclones and being at the forefront of the devastation caused by global warming....at least the traffic flows in peak hour. The midday sun beat down as the sea breeze disappeared whilst we struggled down the 200 meters to our bus pickup. It was sitting idling at the public bus stop running with it's welcoming air-conditioning as we slithered up the burning concrete and into it's cool interior. After paying the exorbitant fares and filling out the mandatory non disclamature forms we headed up the Barwon river for a series of white water high jinx. Raging Thunder is a well run operation with a lot of rubber boats, a plethora of paddles and helmets, a lot of fit/young guides (similar to the snorkeling cruises - maybe only the standout beautiful people get jobs in tourism up here?...) and about 80 paying participants having the time of their lives.

Our jaunt down the river was shared by 3 Bostonian girls who tried valiantly to stay dry and yet failed miserably. We Aussies on the other hand jumped in and got drenched at every opportunity. Louisa actually took the role one step beyond what was required at one stage and got flung off. Unable to utilise the life rope thrown to her she ended up having to walk the 20 meters or so to the next calm patch before re-joining the crew. Thanks to the guidance of our captain Ryan (maybe he pushed her?) We were probably the most skillful team on the river that day. At least the go-pro was on the correct setting this time. And so armed with memories in our minds and in our backpacks we headed back to HQ for debrief and cocktails. Dinner on the strip was pretty funny due to the drunk waiter who confessed and then tried to cover up. Given adequate direction it all worked out well. Trinity beach is a very relaxing place to be this time of year.